Iridescent
by PlainOldJane
Summary: After getting recruited by the ever-growing SHIELD, Atiyana Rain struggles to adjust to her new life among the spies and Avengers, as well as to her new found gifts and powers. Throw in a tall, dark though sometimes green stranger and her life will never be the same. Bruce/OC.
1. On Getting Caught

Chapter 1 Getting Caught:

A/N: This is my very first fic! I hope you guys enjoy; I know I had a blast writing this chapter!

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Life on the streets had been hard, but being on the run was even harder. Atiyana had experience with both, unfortunately, and currently she was doing the latter.

_She had first seen the suits following her in downtown Vancouver; they had shadowed her on her regular trip to the soup kitchen and then back to the shelter. A few had spent the night outside the building, assuming she hadn't picked up on their presence. Out of sheer panic, she had tried to alert several of the staff members but all she got back were "There's nothing out there," and "Crazy homeless girl."_

_Upon exiting the shelter that morning she had utilized the morning commuter rush to her advantage; she was overwhelmed by other rushing people that being followed had seemed an impossible feat, but the people following her were not easily deterred. _

_The fear had truly set in when they had seemingly cornered her at the corner of a less busy street. She could see suits in front of her, and she knew that the original group was still following her. She quickly made a turn onto the nearest street, knowing it probably wasn't a wise choice, but it occurred more out of instinct that rational thought._

_Who they were was the greatest mystery of all; she had done nothing wrong. She had remained under the radar, avoiding pretentious people, the law and staying in shelters every night in a desperate attempt at getting herself onto her feet. _

_She had hidden her abilities from everyone. No one takes well to the girl who can lift objects without touching them. Perhaps that's where her error had been, simply even using it in the first place. Whatever the case, it was too late to change it now; the only option was to out run those surrounding her. _

_Her heart began to pound harder as she quickened her pace, they were closing in behind her, the original group, she could tell after risking a glance over her shoulder. The second group being gone scared her even more than those currently pursuing her, if there were vehicles involved she was a goner._

_The road she had been following quickly dwindled into little more than an alleyway, all the noises around her were amplified tenfold. Her shoes hitting the pavement were like gunshots on their own. _

'_Do not think of gunshots right now, just move.'_

_The only advantage of the alley was that she was now able to hear the progress of the herd of men behind her. Herd was a good word for them- they seemed to almost operate via a hive mind with one goal in mind. Unfortunately, it seemed as though she was that goal right then._

_The steps behind her began to slowly gain speed, not quite at a jog, but definitely a brisk walk and gaining. She picked up her speed to match what they were doing; consciously agreeing to engage in the chase, acknowledging their presence. _

_'They're not going to take a hint, darn it!'_

_The echoes grew quicker behind her, and Atiyana finally broke into a run knowing the risk that they could very likely outrun her quickly. _

_"Please don't." a clear and calm voice spoke out behind her._

_Opting to not answer for fear of revealing just how out of breath she had become, she just pushed herself harder and tried to go faster and faster._

_"One chance; we just want to speak with you. We're not here to hurt you, but we will use force if necessary, Atiyana." The voice was even and sounded as if it hadn't even been running in the first place._

_Panic surged up in her chest at his use of her name, it was the one thing that she only revealed when absolutely critical; just at the shelters and soup kitchens so she didn't leave too many tracks. Apparently she hadn't covered her's thoroughly enough. Turning her attention back to the situation at hand, she immediately noticed the fact that she faced a dead end within the next five feet. Staring at it in defeat for a few seconds, she quickly decided to turn around and not keep her back to the enemy._

_The man who had been speaking to her previously had a balding head of hair and wore a well fitted suit with an unrecognizable emblem on a neat, small pin on his left side. There was a group of men dressed in dark army-like clothing, most with weapons at their hips. "Please, remain calm. We are here to speak with you about an initiative we'd be very interested in having you take part in."_

_Taking a moment to mull over the agent's (or so she assumed) words and decide on her comeback. She had two options; feign innocence and hope for the best or admit to what they probably already knew. From there she could blast them out of the park and out herself further or agree to go with them willingly. _

_"I don't know why you'd need to talk to me." Innocence was the most risk free option present. _

_"We both know we are in need of your help." He showed no emotion whilst he spoke._

_"We are obviously not on the same page here, Mr...?" The sarcasm crept into her voice as she dedicated herself more to her act._

_"My apologies, I'm Agent Coulson and this is my team. We're just here because we need your help. We'd rather do this the easy way, Miss Rain." His voice was still calm, though some of the surrounding agents had begun shifting slightly on their feet and tensing their muscles as if to prepare for a fight. So they did know what she was capable of. _

_"I'm very unaware of my options here, Coulson," realizing the ignorance card was not working, she switched her game to one suiting the situation more._

_"It's Agent Coulson, and you can either come with us by choice and work with SHIELD or we will be reduced to using force to bring you in. Think of it this way: we can offer you shelter as well as decent pay to help you turn your life around," His tone carried a certain edge to it now, one a mix of amusement and slight annoyance._

_"Alright then, the easy way, I guess, would be the most enjoyable." She utilized a defeated tone. Quickly scanning the group in front of her for an object that she could grab with her mind and do some damage. One of the agent's gun's holsters was undone, leaving the gun to be plucked with a single thought. With a quick glance towards Coulson, just to see him reaching into an internal pocket in his jacket._

_Looking back to the gun and focusing all of her energy on it, she acted quickly. The gun whipped towards her while turning back at the group in front of her. She switched some of her attention to the trigger, preparing to shoot at one of the men in the group._

_The men, including Coulson, grabbed their guns at lightening speed and aimed back at her. _

_"You really don't want to do that. Put the gun down and come quietly now." His patience was clearly gone, he wanted to get out whether she was scaring him or he was simply tired of her taking so much of his time._

_It crossed her mind to listen to him, after all he had offered her everything she was in need of right now, but on an instinct she pulled the trigger. The gun did nothing, but she felt a pinch in her shoulder. Looking around in confusion, she realized, too late, that the guns were loaded with tranquilizer darts, not bullets. Glancing down at her shoulder, the last thing she saw was the little dart embedded there as her vision blurred and faded. Suddenly unable to hold her own weight, she crumpled to the ground. _

_Hearing footsteps coming towards her, but being unable to make a move to do anything about it or to even see who was approaching was even more disorienting than she could have imagined._

_"I wish this could have gone better, and for the future, you need to turn the safety off the gun in order to shoot." The words grew faint towards the end, but she knew it was Coulson as she internally cursed herself for her fatal error. _

_'To think that a lack of knowledge about a gun would be my downfall,' were the last thoughts to cross her mind before the world fell into a heavy, thick darkness._

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As she cracked her eyes open, a bright white light consumed her thoughts, forcing her back into the more comfortable darkness.


	2. On Waking Up

Chapter 2: On Waking Up:

A/N: Thanks to CSIGeekFan for being my first ever reviewer!

And now, on to the story…

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As my eyes fluttered open the glaring white lights blinded me, forcing me to close my eyes and block some of it out. I tried to lift my hand to aid in the blocking, but found it to be immobilized by some unseen force. Panicking, I began to struggle and fight whatever it was, with my eyes still remaining closed.

After a few minutes of the struggle, I tried to open my eyes again, this time more gradually. Slowly easing them open and adjusting to the light took a few minutes, but I was finally able to see my surroundings afterwards.

The room was a medium sized white one, very basic with only all sliding glass door made of one way mirrors. I was being watched. The only objects in the room were the hospital bed I was on, with had metal cuffs around my wrists and ankles, immobilizing me effectively. There was also a lone tray pushed just out of my reach with nothing on it.

Lifting myself as high as I could proved to be a feat due to how sore all of my muscles were. After a quick glance down at myself, it was easy to see that I was still in the same clothes as when I was in the alley. Ripped blue jeans that had come from the thrift store near one of the shelters I was often at, a worn purple t-shirt with a darker spot in the middle where a design had once been and, my favourite possession of all, a pair of well preserved, black high top Converse. They, ironically, had cost the least out of the entire ensemble: they were given to me a year prior by a nice volunteer at the soup kitchen.

My clothes were still the same, but I now had an IV plugged into the crook of my arm, feeding a clear, unknown substance into my system. Focusing all of my energy on the needle in an attempt to remove it, nothing happened. I looked away and back at it and tried again, but it simply wouldn't budge. Sometimes, it was hard to move things, but I'd never had an all out power failure before.

Lowering myself back to the mattress and giving my muscles release seemed to be the only option available. They had somehow blocked my powers, leaving me helpless until someone came in here to explain my fate. I stared at the ceiling running scenarios through my head, wondering what would become of me.

Suddenly a quiet swishing noise filled the room; I pulled myself up as far as possible to see who had entered through the mysterious glass door.

The man who had entered had dark skin and, most notably, an eye patch over his left eye. Around the patch were webbing veins, almost as if they had been caused by stress. He was dressed in all black with a long trench coat made of black leather. To match his all black outfit, he wore a grim, serious expression as though he couldn't imagine smiling. Everything about him said that he meant business.

"Hello, Atiyana. I'm sorry we were brought to using such force to bring you in, but we are in need of your services. My name is Agent Fury, Director of Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division otherwise known as SHIELD. Agent Coulson will be here soon to have you released and briefed on why it is you're here. He can also answer any questions you might have." His voice carried such authority that I was scared to even respond for fear of giving the wrong answer.

He turned on his heal and left the room, taking most of the tension with him, leaving me in anticipation of being released from the bed. The cuffs were beginning to cut in as I lowered myself back down again. Knowing that I would be freed, or as free as I could be with SHIELD, I ceased struggling and pondering ways of escape, hoping to save at least some of my energy for later.

The swishing sound occurred again and I knew it had to be Coulson. Anger bubbled up inside my chest at the thought of having to be in the same room as the man who had gotten me into this situation, let alone have to talk to him.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, trying to cap my anger out of habit. The only time I had lost control was the first time I had used my gift. It was near a glass bus stop and several private school students who had just gotten out of school for the day were antagonizing me. Basically, I had just begun walking towards a park that I often haunted in between the end of school and going to wherever I'd be staying that night. As I had been walking, one of them had made a snide comment about what I was wearing and the entire group had joined in on the jabs. I had continued walking past, but one of the boys stuck their foot out at the last minute, sending me flying. That was the last straw; I had clenched my fists, getting ready to break my golden rule of floating under the radar by calling them out. Out of nowhere the glass bus stop shelter shattered raining shards down towards the students below. I used that moment as a way out, but I knew deep down that it had been me that brought the glass down. After some testing and practice, I learned that moving things was like a muscle or a reflex, one that I did my best to suppress from there on out.

The calm voice pulled me out of the memory, reminding me of my current predicament. "Hello again, Atiyana. I have the medical team here to release your restraints, please remain still and calm."

Opening my eyes, I saw that the team was what appeared to be a group of three doctors in white lab jackets, all there to release me. One worked on getting the hand restraints open via a sliding, see though glass computer screen that had dropped out of the roof. Another was working on a second screen, presumably doing the same for my ankles. The last man was only focused on getting the IV out and stashing the stand away in another room. They all finished fairly quickly, leaving the room just as fast.

Sitting up and stretching my back, I finally looked at Coulson with a look of dislike, but he began to speak anyways. "Welcome back to the world of the conscious. Please follow me."

He began walking towards the open door at a brisk pace. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and hopped off, nearly jogging to catch up with the Agent. He was wearing practically the same thing as the first time I had seen him, just minus the sunglasses. I had to pause for a minute because of a severe case of head rush after lying down for so long.

"Wait, how long was I out?" I said once I finally caught up and could match his quick pace.

"Just over two days. With your abilities, we were unsure of how much anaesthetic would be necessary, so we ended up overdoing your dose by a bit. Now that you are awake though, we need to get you briefed on what it is that you will be doing here as well as payment agreements." Speaking quickly seemed to be a hobby of his.

"And where, exactly, are we, Coulson?" I intentionally said his name without the 'Agent' in front of it, recalling how he had corrected me prior, hoping it would bother him.

"It's _Agent_ Coulson. Welcome to the Helicarrier."


	3. On New Surroundings

Chapter 3: On New Surroundings:

A/N: So I both updated this story recently and posted a one shot about Steve on the same day. If you'd like to check it out, that'd be awesome! A bit more dialogue this time, we're finally getting to see some other characters!

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"And where, exactly, are we, Coulson?" I intentionally said his name without the 'Agent' in front of it, recalling how he had corrected me prior, hoping it would bother him.

"It's _Agent_ Coulson. Welcome to the Helicarrier."

I was just about to reply with a snide retort when they reached the end of the hallway and entered a large room. It was jam packed with computer stations all around the edges of the room, centring on one raised platform with a few of the glass screened computers around it. There was only one person on the platform: Director Fury. His back was to me, but anyone could imagine he was wearing his signature scowl/ serious expression. His hands were knotted behind his back and his posture was one that carried authority over the entire room.

Tearing my gaze from the centre of the room, I looked over at the massive wall of windows in front of me, shocked to see clouds instead of an expanse of sea stretching to the horizon. I guess I had presumed that the thing was a boat; it seemed impossible for it to be flying, just judging from the size of the area I had seen. No doubt that there were countless other areas, there would have to be just to house all of the people working away at the computers in the room. I could sit and stare out those windows all day, given the chance.

"This is the bridge. Not a place you'll be spending a lot of time in, but the meeting room's entrance is only accessible through here." He indicated towards a set of stairs that presumably lead up to the meeting room. Curiosity sparked inside me at the thought of just who I'd be meeting with, and why I needed to know where it was. I had assumed that I wouldn't be all that high ranking here, seem as how they had drugged and cuffed me to get here.

"Please follow me and I'll show you where you'll be spending the majority of your time." I knew my face must have an expression of awe on it, but honestly I was enjoying myself too much to even care, which is odd, considering my previous unwillingness to be here.

We walked down the same hall as before in silence; I was busy trying to absorb it all to avoid getting lost later on. Taking an abrupt right, we continued walking for five minutes before taking several more turns, landing us in a long hallway with many doors.

"This is the residential area. All agents, except Director Fury, stay in this area. You will find that there is an identical floor above and below that are also residential. You're room number is 206. The two indicates the level, so if you're ever lost, look at the residential room numbers to see if you're on the right floor." He began walking again, rushing, almost as though he had somewhere else to be.

Three minutes more of walking, several turns, and down two flights of stairs brought us to another large room, but this time it was much emptier. There was several punching bags positioned in various places in the room, a boxing ring in the middle, a shooting range with a variety of targets off to the side and a closet fully equipped with every kind of training equipment thinkable. From guns to bows to boxing gloves to weights, they had it all.

"This is where you'll be going through training. We haven't decided who will be training you yet, but it will be determined by the time the rest of the team gets here. We have one last stop before you are free to go back to your room." Yes, he was definitely rushing this; he kept looking down at his watch as he spoke and as he walked. Not much eye contact was made either; neither of us truly wanted to be there.

We doubled back on our path and walked almost the entire way back to the bridge, but we took a right about ten metres away from the arch into the bridge. This hall was just as quiet as the other two; everyone must have been very absorbed with their work, or a meal break had just ended. Checking the nearest clock, I confirmed my second notion; it was just after three pm. Darn, I had missed lunch.

Taking one last turn we arrived in a hallway with several rooms, all with partial glass walls so you could look in and see part of the room. They were spacious, not nearly as much as the bridge or the training room, but they could comfortably have several people walk around in them and work.

"These are the labs. You will be in one of them to continue your schooling for part of the day, and you'll be helping out in one for another part of the day. Your schedule is training in the morning, starting at 7:30 going to one in the afternoon, then labs in the afternoon from 1pm until 6pm. Dinner will be served just down the hall there in the lab staff room and you can take it wherever you wish. Lunch will also be served in there, it would be best that you hustle from training to the labs. Breakfast will be down in the training room at 7, so don't be late. Please pay attention to signs, certain areas of the ship are off limits for you, so mind where you walk. You will have clothing and other necessities provided for by SHIELD during your stay and will be paid in the region of $1000 a week. It will be put into your newly established SHIELD account and is accessible at any time via the internet."

"Wow, that's a little overwhelming. Wait! How long am I going to be here for?" I added the second part as an afterthought, shocked and suspicious at how much I'd be making to be trained and to help out a bit. There would be no worries of housing or food. I wouldn't be going hungry, nor would I be sleeping on the streets. I had my own room; that thought on its own was enough to bring a mist to my eyes.

Agent Coulson checked his watch for what seemed to be the fiftieth time in the span of time that we had been talking. "Well, your stay here depends on a multitude of factors that I won't get into right now. I'm sorry to do this to you, but you'll have to find your own way back to your room. Dinner will be served there in an hour, so you can kill time in any one of the locations I showed you."

He turned and began walking away, in another direction altogether than we had gone. I was going to just let him go, no questions asked, but curiosity got the better of me.

"And where are you going?" I had to raise my voice so he could hear me.

"To go pick up the rest of your team mates," he didn't look back as he said it.

**Sometime later:**

Hours had passed since Coulson and I had parted ways. The time had been relatively uneventful. I had, mercifully, avoided getting lost and had made my way back to her room, eaten dinner and now sitting on the bed flicking through channels on the small television in the room.

I glanced at the clock on her bedside table and was shocked to see that it was already 11:30. Knowing the next day was going to be an eventful one, I switched off the TV and fell into a heavy sleep within minutes, dreaming about the days to come.

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! We'll get to meet the team next chapter, so stay tuned.


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